This invention relates to electrical connectors for electrical power tubes and more particularly to an X-ray tube high voltage electrical connector having means therein to accommodate volume changes in oil within the connector at elevated operating temperatures.
A dielectric oil is utilized in an X-ray tube and its electrical connector assembly to suppress electrical arcing between electrical conductors and the connector assembly and to maintain good electrical contact between contactors in the connector. In other regions, dielectric oil is utilized as a circulatory coolant medium. High operating temperatures of X-ray tubes contribute to interrelated problems of oil volume expansion and oil leakage particularly at the high voltage electrical connector to the tube in derogation of the required cleanliness of X-ray equipment and its environment. For this reason high voltage electrical connectors for X-ray tubes may include both sealing means and oil volume change compensation or accommodation means therein. Various oil volume expansion compensation means have been employed in such electrical connectors including, for example, special metal bellows which are confined in the connector and are compressed by the expanding oil for a net oil volume increase. Metal bellows require special handling because of their fragile nature and the particular rigorous environment of their location and function leads to unsatisfactory failure rates.